Ho Chi Minh City: Strengthening training on drug and substance prevention in schools

SGGPO November 22, 2023 17:58

On November 22, at Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted (District 1), the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City coordinated with the City Police, the City Social Evils Prevention Department and the City Center for Disease Control to organize a training program on preventing and combating drug crimes, new tobacco and addictive substances in schools for teachers, students and trainees of public and non-public educational institutions in the city.

Specifically, the training program takes place in 10 sessions for teachers and students of secondary schools, high schools, continuing education centers, vocational education - continuing education centers and affiliated units.

"Prevention" is better than "cure"

According to Mr. Duong Tri Dung, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City, currently, students are becoming targets of being lured and enticed by bad elements to use drugs and addictive substances in disguised forms of food such as candy, milk tea, laughing gas, shisha, American weed, etc.

Faced with that reality, every year, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City coordinates with the City Police, the City Social Evils Prevention Department and the City Center for Disease Control to organize training courses for the team in charge of drug and addictive substance prevention in educational institutions.

Many teachers attended the training session.

"This year, the training participants are not only managers but also teachers in charge of drug prevention at secondary schools, high schools, vocational education centers - continuing education centers including national defense teachers, civic education teachers, team leaders... to promote propaganda work among students," said a representative of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr. Duong Tri Dung also requested that the work of preventing and combating drugs and tobacco in schools must closely follow the reality of each student. Schools must proactively prevent and stop the causes and conditions for drug abuse in schools, thereby creating a healthy learning environment, ensuring political security and social order and safety in educational institutions.

Along with that, schools improve the quality of activities of political organizations in schools on preventing and combating drugs, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, and tobacco; build a force of union members and team members as the core in the fight, propaganda, education, and detection of drugs, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, and tobacco infiltration into schools.

Focus on warning about the harmful effects of drugs

At the training session, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Khac Anh, Secretary of the Youth Union of Team PC04, Ho Chi Minh City Police, said that with a population of more than 10 million people, Ho Chi Minh City has become a lucrative market for the buying, selling and transporting of addictive substances, including drugs.

"According to actual records, in the 2023-2024 school year, the need for high schools to coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh City Police to propagate drug prevention and control and electronic cigarettes has doubled compared to previous years. The reason is that drug crimes are increasingly complicated, many products containing addictive substances such as electronic cigarettes, shisha, and laughing gas are strongly penetrating into schools," said a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Police.

Representatives of Ho Chi Minh City Police emphasized the importance of propagating the harmful effects of addictive substances in schools.

Some types of electronic cigarettes are determined to have low levels of addictive substances but contain other additives that, when entering the body, will affect the nervous, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems.

More dangerously, some products are infused with addictive substances and are disguised as fruit juice, fruit candy, cookies, etc. After use, users are at risk of losing control of their behavior and emotions, leading to many social evils such as promiscuous sex and murder.

"If propaganda work only stops at introducing addictive substances or disseminating legal documents, it will not have a strong effect on students. On the contrary, it can make them curious and want to try using them. Therefore, there needs to be real data and specific stories about the harmful effects of drugs to scare students and prevent them from trying them even once," Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Khac Anh expressed.

In addition, according to MSc. Dinh Thi Hai Yen, Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, currently, the rate of regular cigarette use among Vietnamese students is decreasing, but the rate of electronic cigarette use is increasing.

"Young people often think that e-cigarettes are fashionable products, safer than traditional cigarettes, odorless and do not affect people around them. But in reality, e-cigarette smokers are easily addicted and increase the risk of using regular cigarettes, while affecting the health of both smokers and people around them," informed Dr. Dinh Thi Hai Yen.

MSc. Dr. Dinh Thi Hai Yen, City Center for Disease Control informs about the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes

Therefore, experts all believe that schools need to increase propaganda and education for students to stay away from addictive substances, not to use or assist in buying, selling, or transporting them to protect their health and that of their loved ones, and contribute to building a healthy and safe school environment.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tphcm-day-manh-tap-huan-ve-phong-chong-ma-tuy-va-cac-chat-gay-nghien-trong-truong-hoc-post715258.html